Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuyn

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Alternative Title:
Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuyn

Wilhelmus Simon Petrus Fortuyn, (“Pim”), Dutch sociologist and politician (born Feb. 19, 1948, Velsen, Neth.—died May 6, 2002, Hilversum, Neth.), was the headline-grabbing leader of the Lijst Pim Fortuyn, the populist anti-immigration political party he established in 2002; his assassination while campaigning for the parliament triggered a national crisis in his peace-loving homeland. The flamboyant Fortuyn supported business deregulation and abortion rights and was open about both his homosexuality and his fondness for the high life. Known for his sardonic wit, he aimed his harshest vitriol at Islam, which he denounced as “backward,” and at Muslim immigrants, who, he said, were intolerant of the liberal, open-minded society that had long been a Dutch hallmark. Although he disliked being linked with right-wing anti-immigrant parties in other European countries, his calls to close The Netherlands to future immigration made such comparisons inevitable. Fortuyn taught at the Universities of Groningen and Nijenrode, was professor of sociology (1990–95) at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, and wrote several books before formally entering politics in 2001. After a falling out with Leefbaar Nederland (“Livable Netherlands”), a populist coalition of ultranationalist right-wingers and disillusioned leftists, he formed his own party in Rotterdam, where it won a majority in city elections. Fortuyn reportedly was shot and killed by an animal rights activist who opposed his stand on fur farming.